


A Slender Crescent

by OrangeRaven989



Series: Annette Rarepair Week 2021 [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Annette Rarepair Week (Fire Emblem), Annette Rarepair Week 2021, But mostly fluff, Cooking, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, Politics, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29202339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeRaven989/pseuds/OrangeRaven989
Summary: Annette and Claude have done the impossible and saved Fodlan. But now, on the verge of leaving the monastery together for Almyra, the two have a *lot* to discuss about the future. So they have a midnight cookout.Annette Rarepair Week 2021, Day 5: Cooking/Moon/Post-Game
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Claude von Riegan
Series: Annette Rarepair Week 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136132
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	A Slender Crescent

**Author's Note:**

> Technically part of my Annette/Claude timeline, but stands on its own as well. I really love Annette as a driving force behind the school in their paired ending, and I really enjoyed digging into how they might try to figure out their future together.
> 
> These two are just great.
> 
> Also, goes without saying, but BIG SPOILERS in here, especially for Verdant Wind.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Annette was no stranger to being awake at midnight. Thoughts of the war kept her from getting any sleep for months while she was in the thick of it, and years before that when she was just cowering in a tiny house in Fhirdiad. Nighttime filled her with dread, and not just because she was still scared of the dark at the ripe old age of twenty-three. The faces in the darkness, the terror of what she’d done and seen and survived and everything else. When the distractions of the day couldn’t distract her anymore. That was night, every night. But now she looked up at the night sky and saw the shimmering crescent moon and smiled.

“It looks like your crest,” she said, leaning against her partner as they sat on the top of the wall outside the dining hall. The moonlight shimmered off the surface of the fishing pond.

Claude chuckled beside her. “I’ve always liked the crescent moon. I guess maybe that’s why.” He slipped his arm around her and pulled her in.

A tingle ran down her spine. She closed her eyes and let herself feel it fully. The idea of finally being at peace now was totally foreign. It felt… fake. And it was, kind of. The war was over but nothing was fixed yet. The Professor would be in charge of that, but she was uneasy with the plans. Having someone in charge of everything who wasn’t chosen by the people they were in charge of was part of what started the whole problem. Why Edelgard pushed so hard to overthrow the system. This wasn’t fixing those problems, it was just putting different—better, but still fallible—people in the same positions.

She closed her eyes. She’d had that conversation with Claude before. Many times, as they lay awake in bed together. No one knew what they were doing. Edelgard’s rejection of nobility had been good, but her vision of a meritocracy would have created a different system of people on top and people on the bottom resenting them. Dimitri’s desire to take care of the poorest of his people had been good, but his unwillingness to break from the forces that were creating the status quo was ineffectual at best if not wholly detrimental. And, she had to admit, though her boyfriend’s dream of knocking down the walls between cultures was a dream she deeply shared, his aversion to letting the people decide for themselves put her on edge. But she was breaking through to him, slowly but surely. The world didn’t need more kings, dukes, or emperors, and she could swear he was beginning to understand that.

It was almost time to leave for Almyra, and she’d be going with him. She smiled. Part of her already felt homesick, but she would actually be closer to Goneril, Edmund, and Ordelia territory than she ever was back in Fhirdiad. And with Fodlan’s Locket soon to be serving as a border checkpoint rather than a military fortress, she’d be able to visit Hilda on a regular basis. That would be wonderful, something to really help ground her in her new world.

But still, there was so much work to do. She wasn’t about to let Claude shoulder all the burden—she never had been good at that. Together they had to convince the whole world that their vision—diplomacy between countries instead of invasions—was even possible, much less ideal. They also had to sell Almyra on the idea that there would be no heir, and they had to be prepared for backlash against the new queen for her decision not to have children. She closed her eyes and smiled. Maybe that would be the impetus they needed to open the leadership up to the people. Who knew?

So much was going to change. On nights like these, it was important for her to be able to sit still—well, as still as Annette Fantine Dominic was capable of sitting—and just smile up at the moon. She felt the press of Claude’s lips against the top of her head and shivered again. Then he rose to his feet.

“Ready to get started?”

She glanced up at him, eyebrow raised. “Started?”

He grinned. “Remember when we said we should have a cookout after the war ended?”

Her eyes widened. “Well, yeah, but… you want to do that _now_?” She scoffed. “It’s almost midnight!”

“The only rule is there are no rules,” Claude replied with a shrug. “And also, I’m hungry and want to celebrate.”

Turning her gaze back to the moon, she leaned back, propping herself up and almost basking in the brightness of the light. Cooking at midnight, under the brilliant moon, after the war had finally ended. Sure, why not? It would probably throw off her metabolism entirely, but hey. Here she sat, the future Queen of Almyra. She shuddered. No. It just didn’t fit, at all. But maybe that was why it fit so perfectly. What better way to illustrate breaking down walls?

Finally she got up and followed Claude to the doorway of the dining hall. She almost wished they could bring the stove outside and do the actual cooking there, but there was no way that could ever be feasible. She tilted her head. A portable stove. If someone could figure out how to build something like that, they’d be rich beyond their wildest dreams. Maybe she’d talk to Leonie about it later—seemed like her kind of thing.

Claude was already lighting the stove when she joined him in the kitchen. She stepped up beside him and leaned in. “What are we cooking?”

He turned and grinned at her. “You tell me,” he replied. “Have you been craving anything in particular?”

She put her finger to her chin, considering the question. “I mean, I’m always up for dessert, but if we’re actually cooking… maybe onion gratin soup?” she said. “Seems easy enough to cook without getting too involved.”

Claude smiled wide. “I like the way you think,” he said. “That dish was always one of my faves.”

Her eyes widened. “Mine too!” she replied, clapping her hands together. “I’m such a sucker for onions and cheese.”

“Then let’s make this our extra-special dish,” he said. “The one we made together to celebrate the end of the war.”

Annette pumped her fist. “All right,” she said. “I’ll go get the biggest pot I can find!”

“Maybe the second-biggest,” Claude said, scrunching his nose. “It is just the two of us, after all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied, already scurrying off toward the pantry to dig out a pot. It was nice. This was really nice. Just getting to spend time together like this, without the crushing worry of war bearing down on them. It was almost… normal. And it might be the only normal thing they’d get to do for a long time. Just cooking together. Like… a married couple. She froze, halfway in the pantry, and flushed a violent red.

That _was_ where this was leading, right? The way they talked it sure seemed like it. Claude spoke like it was a given that she’d become the Queen of Almyra someday. She gritted her teeth. She loved Claude. Claude loved her. And as far as she could tell, there was no reason to think that they wouldn’t be a couple for a long, long time. But… well, as much as the idea of marriage made her fuzzy and tingly and nervous in that perfect way, it also meant all kinds of complications.

She wanted to be a teacher. Adamantly. She even had an idea for a school in Almyra, right on the border of Goneril territory, that would be open to citizens of both countries. Claude fully supported the idea, and even wanted her to run that school. She also didn’t want children, and he seemed to be okay with that decision as well. So… she’d been thinking. Maybe it would be better for them not to be married, at least at first. Maybe it would be better for the King to put in place the systems and reforms they talked about implementing, then step down and allow the people to elect a new leader. She’d never need to be Queen, and the people of Almyra would never be forced to accept her. And then she and Claude could live their lives in peace.

It was just a thought, something she hadn’t brought up with him yet. But it lingered on the edges of her mind. There was a way to make it all fall into place, but it would take political courage. She dug around for a pot and eventually found one, then pulled it out and hauled it over her shoulder. Transforming an entire country’s outlook on things was certainly a monumental task, but they’d done enough monumental things already. What was one more?

“Get lost in there?” Claude asked with a chuckle as she set the pot down on the stove. He’d managed to procure the ingredients while she was gone.

She smiled at him and shook her head. “No, I was just… lost in my own head, I think.”

“Sounds like the Annette I know and love.”

The blush returned to her cheeks. She didn’t respond right away, and instead they began preparing the meal in silence. Soon the onions were caramelizing in the pot, which would take a little bit of time, so they got to work making the broth. The smell of the onions cooking filled her nose and made her giddy, but she still felt butterflies as she prepped the food beside Claude. Finally she turned to him.

“You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about the future,” she said.

He nodded, a knowing smile on his face. “It’s the only thing I’ve been able to think about since the last battle,” he replied. “And, to be perfectly honest, I’m getting more and more nervous about it.”

Annette shivered at his words. Seeing Claude vulnerable was rare, but it made him so… human. Relatable. She was beginning to understand his way of thinking, and honestly her budding ability to be able to read him filled her with pride.

“Me too,” she said. “But I have a few ideas. How we can make things a bit smoother for everyone.”

He closed his eyes. “I hate how much you worry about not being accepted,” he said. “And look, if anyone can understand that feeling, it’s me. Almyra is… well, I don’t exactly know anymore. I haven’t been back since I was a child. But I think there’s a certain power in our union.”

The word hit her like a ton of bricks. She tried to get literally any words out but found her voice completely gone. He was looking at her, probably knowing how flustered he’d just made her—that was the thing he was learning about her—smiling his smile. She cleared her throat and forced something.

“There’s… a lot to discuss,” she managed. “And I think we have more time than we think to talk through it all.” She swallowed hard. “I just… I think there are ways we can make things better for people without having to rule over them, you know? It just feels like more of the same… and that’s what led Fodlan to war, isn’t it?”

He nodded slowly before helping her add the broth into the pot. Then he wordlessly sifted through the spice cabinet and pulled out something Annette didn’t recognize. He added it in and stirred, then offered her the ladle. She continued stirring as he stepped back to prepare the cheese.

“Innovation,” he said simply.

“Huh?”

“Changing the recipe to incorporate new ingredients,” he continued. “I don’t know how it’s going to taste. It’s one of my favorite meals, and I may have just ruined it by adding in something no one has ever thought to add to it before.”

She nodded and continued stirring. “Point taken,” she replied. “All I’m saying is that there are a lot of ways we can innovate.” She paused for a moment to think, then just chuckled. “I can’t think of a way to tie it into your silly metaphor, so I’m not gonna.”

He laughed, full and hearty. Goddess, it was good to hear that laugh.

“I’m so lucky to have you,” he said, making her tingle again. “I have no doubt in my mind that between the two of us we’ll get it all figured out.”

She turned back to the soup, still stirring, and pulled her lips into her mouth. Her cheeks were warm, and it wasn’t from the heat emanating from the stove. She closed her eyes, letting the thoughts run wild and her heart thump and not trying to hold it in. For so long she tried to be the best she could possibly be. She worked so hard, hoping it would make a difference. Hoping her father would take notice, hoping her work could effect change somewhere. Hoping she could do something good for the world. She wished Dimitri and Edelgard could have been a part of it, as well. But to have Claude recognize her work, all her effort, and not only support her but also actively encourage her every step of the way, well… it was hard not to swoon a little.

She dished out two bowls of soup on a tray, and Claude laid the cheese out over the tops. It didn’t take long for the cheese to melt and spill out over the sides. She smiled at it, then lifted the tray and took it outside. Claude followed, and together they sat on the wall and looked out over the fishing pond, waiting for the soup to cool.

The moon was still bright above them. She tentatively pushed her spoon through the cheese, the steam hitting her in the face, and took just the tiniest amount of broth. It was still too hot to eat yet, but she slurped the little amount and smiled at the flavor. There was a hint of spice in there but she couldn’t place it.

She turned to him. “Seems like your innovation worked out.”

He caught her eye and grimaced. “Are you kidding?” he replied. “I just ruined my favorite soup!”

They both laughed, the breeze picking up and blowing her hair in her face, carrying with it the aroma of onions and spice. Then she dropped her spoon and shot to her feet. “Oh no,” she muttered.

“Problem?”

She made for the door to the dining hall before turning back. “I left the stove on!” She dashed into the dining hall and came to a stop at the stove, still burning, and the pot of leftover soup which had boiled over and was now puddling on the floor. She groaned loud, and she swore she could hear the future King of Almyra laughing at her through the window.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Find me on Twitter: [OrangeRaven989](https://twitter.com/OrangeRaven989)


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